Spirit Panic!

[ThePromise]

Paradise lost.

Not even a minute after she was once again getting interested in the Nile and the Egyptian cultures, someone made their entry into the library. Irked that someone would follow her, her eyes left the historical facts before her and glimpsed upon the very one who drove her to leave in the first place. Out of every pain, he was the one ...and she almost forgot about him when he sat down, choosing to ignore his existence as he seemed to ignore her. Pulling out a pen and for some reason carrying a sheet of paper on him randomly, he began to jot something down, something she would have just overlooked if it wasn't obvious that it was for her. Seeing the sheet pushed towards her, Asagi had her eyes trace along the text.

...

Looking back at him, he had already begun to lean back, careless, letting his note do the explanation. She might've been okay ...if he said it himself.

Gently setting the note back down, Asagi set the book on the table before her, giving her next move some consideration. Tilting her head back silently, she suddenly jerked it forward, releasing a compressed blast of her energy to his head. The paper flew up immediately and her action of setting it down was pointless, something she knew but didn't care about. The force would've severely bruised his face, but it didn't matter, he was too much of a 'bad ass' to let it bother him. It was strong enough to make him tip over as well. Maybe if she was lucky, he'd address her like a man after this incident.

"So what was that? You just roll on in here and let a note do the talking for you? Too cool to acknowledge someone verbally?" The guy had a mouth that was more than willing to point out his victory over some common punks. If that weren't enough, a news story just -happened- to be on about it right when he turned it on. It was as if after the entire questioning was over he asked when it would be on the news, simply to turn the T.V on and get admired by everyone when the time came. She wasn't like them, what he did wasn't impressive, wasn't worthy of any recognition. They were just children excited over every little thing..

And she didn't deserve to be stuck with people like this guy...

Shutting the book and standing up, she carried the text back to the nearby bookshelf she retrieved it from as her black cat Lulu looked on.

"How about you just go? You clearly don't wanna be teamed up with me, and I clearly don't wanna deal with your kind." Out of the entire club, he was one of the two people she absolutely loathed, and would rather see him being hardcore with someone who'd buy that garbage.

"Heck, maybe tea-girl, or the annoying twins,even the clingy bimbo.. maybe they'll care for your 'too cool to explain why I'm here' attitude ..but me, no ..get lost." While waiting for the inevitable retaliation the hot-headed jackass would no doubt try to give her, she approached Lulu on the window sill and let the cat jump on her left shoulder, clearly unaffected by her harshness. Asagi disliked a lot of people for who they were. Ishiro was just one of them. "I've got no business with tough guys." Turning, she headed towards a nearby staircase that swirled and extended itself up another floor. This place was huge. Without the candles it would almost be frightening. Still, despite what may lurk, she ascended regardless.

There was something up there ...she just had no immediate hurry to check until her peace was disturbed.

 

[Mistearea]

He thought that he had chosen the right way to tell her about some of what had happened. He couldn't have been more wrong if he sent a singing telegram. As a result he pays for his mistake not only with a verbal lashing, but also with some form of energy slamming into his head sending him backwards. He tries to keep his balance as he slowly makes his way backwards before finally losing the battle and slamming into the floor. He groans a bit before jumping to his feet and glaring at the person. He tried to be nice to the girl by being quiet. He may not like her, but she's one of the few that he respects from the entire club.

"Well excuse me for trying to be considerate! I thought that note would be preferable to me just blurting it out!"

And this is exactly why Ishiro considered this a fate worse than death. He was in a relatively good mood, but then he was given the orders to go and act as Asagi's partner. All of this slowly builds up his anger, but he fights to keep things cool. He knows that he was to attack this girl, things would obviously get destroyed in the battle. And let's face it, even he likes a good book from time-to-time. But he votes against this and instead takes a deep breath to calm himself. He lets his anger subside a little before walking up to the girl as she mentions something about how she doesn't have any business with "tough guys."

"You think I wanted to team up with an Amazon like you? I wanted to team up with Ace but he teamed up with that 'bimbo' of yours and sent me here. Besides, you and I both know what would have happened if I teamed up with twins." He simply sighs at this point and walks past her as if to take point on the stairs and finally adds, "I only agreed to be your partner because I know how you like the quiet. I was willing to keep quiet for that, but it seems that I was wrong about you."

 

[King Naruto]

Coraleye loved to watch the club enteract with eachother, regardless of the outcume truthfully. It just the fact that they acknowedged eachother and their personlaties before speaking first. Though there was one person that seemed to get under his skin and that person was Asagi. She could be pretty mean spirited and by god did she dislike most, if not all, of the club members. Coraleye did his best to not give her any reason to not like him but, it was hard considering he could be quite shifty at times or seem that way. He wouldn't be suprised if just the fact that he was a half demon was enough to give her reason to dislike him as well. Well it didn't matter for the most part since no matter the problems, Coraleye was just bout always nice when it came to the club.

Looking toward the door, he watched as Ace, and a couple others follow behind him. Asagi and Ishiro weren't following as they both went to the library.....to argue no doubt. The young demon didn't feel the need to cramp himself within a small room nor did the prospect of Asagi and Ichiro's arguement sound fun at all. It was best for him to go his own way for now. He took several steps up the right staircase before realizing that he might need some help if anything went very wrong. Remembering that the twins weren't doing a thing, Coraleye decided on who to bring. "Hey Ashley and Mizuki, come on." He said before muttering under his breath, "Guess i'm babysitting."

As he reached the top of the staircase, there was a large sliding door with the words study labeled on it. "With a mansion this big, guess you would forget which room is which." Coraleye commented as he slid the door open. The room wasn't too big as a medium sized mahogany desk sat in the middle of the room. A globe sat in the corner while there were other kinds of rarities and books within the room. What caught his eye though was a antique M1 Garand Rifle sitting in a case by the globe. He was fascinated by the weapon as it wasn't readily used during this day and age and was probably worth a fortune now.

"Dad would kill for this." Coraleye put his hands in his pockets and looked around the room, "Alright twins, let's do some searching. Let's hope there's no super spirit in here just waiting."

 

[luna008]

"Guess i'm babysitting."

When Ashely heard that, she felt her eye twich, "I heard that! I'm not a little kid!" Pip joined her in her protest by flying around Coraleye's head, since Mizuki made Ashely promise to keep his antics down.

When Mizuki heard that, she put her palm to her face, thinking, 'Great, they're starting to lump me in the same boat as Ashely...'. Then she said to Coraleye, "Coraleye, I'm not a child and i would appreicate it if you would not treat me as such. And Pip, stop doing that, you're just helping prove his point." When Pip flew back onto his spot on Ashely's head, Mizuki continued, "Now lets go."

They followed Coraleye up the staircase into a room with the inscription of "study" over the enterance of it. Mizuki was immeaditly drawned to the books while Ashely followed Coraleye. "What's the appeal of guns?" She asked when she saw his eye catch on the gun in the case. Ashely never really got the appeal of them, for use, fun, and craftmanship. They just made things either to easy or much harder then they should be.

"Alright twins, let's do some searching. Let's hope there's no super spirit in here just waiting."

"Alright spirits!C'mon out!" Ashely exclaimed, as she looked around the room.

Mizuki just took a deep breath, "We're not one person, so please don't adresse us like we are." She said it polietly, but she let her aggitation show. It was bad enough that two of the other members, Ishiro and Asagi, disliked them, they didn't need the rest of them only reffering to the two of them like they really were one person.

 

[ThePromise]

"You think I wanted to team up with an Amazon like you? I wanted to team up with Ace but he teamed up with that 'bimbo' of yours and sent me here. Besides, you and I both know what would have happened if I teamed up with twins."

"That's not my problem is it? I left before you clowns even decided to split up, and it just so happens I have to deal with one of you anyway? Take a hint. I don't need someone like you with me." And he had the nerve to pass her, making her irritation reach a new height. This was the guy she could throw off a building and not look back at. This was the guy she hated most right now. Nothing he said was getting him anywhere with her, especially after calling her an Amazon. Perhaps in the sense she was fierce and could beat the hell out of him. Then he'd be accurate.

"I only agreed to be your partner because I know how you like the quiet. I was willing to keep quiet for that, but it seems that I was wrong about you."

"Oh I had no idea speaking quietly was so difficult for you!" stopping in her tracks, she stood and let him continue up there on his own. "And you getting in front of me isn't making me want to work with you either you idiot. What are you going to do? You can't see as good as me, nor can you--- ...." Asagi paused to contain herself. This bastard tried too hard to be the alpha male just like a certain other member of this stupid club. If she kept going, it would get her nowhere. Closing her eyes, she turned around and headed back downstairs. "..You know what, since you're determined to act like you're cool by getting in front of me and writing notes to express yourself,then stay up there and do this on your own. I'm not working with you." Resolving to rid herself of this loser, she descended the spiral staircase and moved for the exit. There was one other place she wanted to check out before she could say she did a fair share of her job.

"If only you were a person Lulu ..you could be someone I could stand, right?" Her cat purred in response and rubbed its head against her cheek, sending tingles down her spine. Asagi smiled a little and reached up to her with her left hand, running a hand gently along her cat's back. "You always were a good girl. Let's go check out that greenhouse."

 

[nightmarezeroX9]

Emilia had volunteered to go with Satoshi, and seeing as she was a purifier, it was really all he needed. Already at the top of the steps, Ace and Hayden had taken a room that was rather close by, and the wonder twins plus Coraleye went off to another section of the large mansion. "Alright then Emilia, we'll take the East wing, where the living quarters are. Stay close by, wouldn't want to lose you."

The East wing was, well, on the east side of the mansion, but the large size of the damn place made it take a few minutes to figure out where it was. At first it seemed like just a narrow corridor where the guest rooms were, but inside each he knew that the rooms were incredibly large, or so the owner had stated. Opening up the closest one, which was to the left of him, he peered inside to a empty void almost. The whole place was pitch black. It could be considered high on the creepy factor. Hell, for all he knew, Jason could be waiting right in the corner, waiting to take a few swings at Satoshi. Feeling around the wall to the left and right of the door, he eventually came to a light switch, and with a quick flip up, the lights gave life to room, making everything already look better. The room itself was quite marvelous, with white painted on the walls and rather lavish wall decorations surrounding the whole room. There was a queen sized bed occupying the middle, leaving enough room for anyone to get by to the dressers on the other side. Each looked to be made of a rare wood, one big enough for clothing and the other for possibly accessories. There was no TV in the room, but it wasn't expected there would be one at all. People of higher standing usually tend to not have one, or so social standards would dictate. Occupying another corner of the room was a desk with a small drawer underneath, but it was locked, and who the hell really knew why. Satoshi certainly could pick the lock, but he left his lock picking kit back at his dorm. Shame. And he didn't really know if Emilia could open it. I'd be best not to ask her, she might get the wrong impression.

The three weasels began to disperse around the room, looking around and seeing if there was anything out of the unusual. They didn't seem to notice anything at all, but they weren't really attuned to the supernatural. They were geared for combating them, and making great pets to have around sometimes. Finally parting from the desk, which still seemed very peculiar to him, he took in everything else in the room, and noticed a closet door, which was covered by several large jackets hanging in front of it. It blended in well with the door, and when he tried to open it, the knob wouldn't turn at all. Not wanting to try to bust it open, he left it alone. All of it seemed weird, a locked desk in a guest room, and not to mention the closet was locked too. Who the hell does that? Really? Unless you were an axe murderer who chose mundane places to hide corpses, Satoshi didn't see the point at all. Shrugging it off, he went back to looking around, opening the dressers to see that they were all empty. "So, Emilia, can you tell if anything out of the unusual is here?"

 

[Piercing Light]

"Did you get it?" Ace moved away from the wardrobe, seeing Hayden's handiwork on the dresser. She had blown off the lock, not very subtle but it got the job done. He just hoped whatever was inside wasn't damaged. "Nice work Hayden." He said, sliding the dresser open. Just as he thought there was an object inside wrapped in the white cloth that was hanging out of it. Picking it up the first thing he noticed was how heavy it was. "What is this thing, made out of... lead?" He blinked in surprise as he removed the cloth. It was indeed made of a heavy metal, nearly black in color. It appeared to be a key, an over-sized key. A smirk creased his lips as his thoughts instantly went to the large door on the floor below. He couldn't wait to see what was on the other side.

As he went for the door the flashlight he had placed on the ground suddenly sparked, and the bulb blew out. This alarmed Ace, as he grabbed Hayden's arm and rushed towards the door leading out of the room. Before he could reach it however it slammed shut, causing him to bang into it. He let go of Hayden's arm as he rubbed his shoulder. He ran his hand along the wall in front of him trying to find the door but it was gone as if it were never even there. He slowly let his hand fall to his side as he accepted that they had fallen for a trap.

"I warned you didn't I? But I knew you wouldn't listen. You humans have always been far too curious for your own good." An odd voice boomed around the room, it sounded human, but had a distinct beastly rasp to it. Ace recognized the voice, it was in fact the same one that had warned him to leave the mansion. "Since you're Already here, how about we play a little game? It's called 'I summon a group of blood thirsty ghosts and watch as they tear you apart!' The rules are fairly simple."

The ground in front of them opened unnaturally. It was a circular hole, and from it's black depths three pairs of pale white hands clawed their twitching bodies up to the floor. "You die!" The voice laughed, it's voice starting loud until it faded out into an unseen distance. The three ghosts from the looks of them used to be normal men. but now were shadows of their former selves.

"Hayden you know the drill, Pacify them! I'll send them once I see the chance. and be careful, from the looks of them they seem to be quite powerful. Try to keep your distance!"

 

[IceBlueWings]

Alert for any unfamiliar and unworldly presence, Emilia and Satoshi tread on the second floor. "Yes, sir." She said jovially as they turned to enter the east side of the mansion and away from the rest of the group who were on the same floor. Satoshi chose to enter one of the closest rooms along the left side of the corridor and Emilia silently followed. She would have spoken to ease her unease of the possibility of any ghostly presence waiting to be sensed, but that would give away her emotions to Satoshi, and him knowing that she was actually afraid would be the last thing she ever wanted...other than death or something along those lines.

The room brightened when Satoshi switched on the light, much to her slight relief. Realizing that she was standing just some distance away from the door, she looked around the extravagant room, and found that it was bedroom. Emilia tried to sense anything different in particular, but there wasn't anything at the moment. Satoshi went ahead to look at the drawers and the closet door, which she noticed could not open when he tried. Although she was looking rather passive, she wondered why there was a need to lock the drawer and the closet door, certainly when the owner knew they needed to check every nook and cranny of the mansion for anything unusual.

Emilia faced Satoshi when he examined the dressers while asking her if she could sense anything. "Other than the locked drawer and the closet door..." She said, pausing. There was a short moment of suspenseful silence when she grinned. "Nothing, yet." But in her mind, she felt something was wrong. Maybe something was going on in another room where the other groups were...? She wasn't sure. Perhaps she was just imagining things. The others were capable of handling things, anyway. She shouldn't cause unnecessary alarm. "Do you think we should try opening the drawer and the closet door?" She asked, pointing at them. She walked towards the desk and scrutinized it. "Isn't there a key somewhere...?" She mumbled aloud. Then she walked towards the bed, and lifted the pillow on the right side. "We could always forcefully open the locked door and drawer. I'm rather curious as to why they're locked." She suggested to Satoshi. "But unless you think it's not worth our time, then it's fine."

 

[Mistearea]

"..You know what, since you're determined to act like you're cool by getting in front of me and writing notes to express yourself,then stay up there and do this on your own. I'm not working with you."

He watches as Asagi makes her way towards the door of the room in a state mixed with rage and shock. He knew something like this would happen, but he didn't really think it would be like this. He just sighs at how things turned out and turns to look around the area. It's true, he can't see better than her. He was using her light as his main source of vision the entire time. Before he takes another step forward and turns around to face her again, but notices that she's gone already. He slams his fist into the railing of the balcony before turning towards the nearest bookcase. He punches this too but accidentally adds his own energy into the attack. As a result a loud crashing sound resonates from the area that could set off anyone sensitive to the paranormal, even more so if they are sensitive to demonic energy.

He breathes hard at the frustration still in his mind before he realizes that his punch knocked the bookshelf off balance and toppling over creating a domino effect on the other shelves on that floor. He yells out a curse at this before slumping against the rail and falling to the ground. It's then that he tells himself to apologize to the girl, but he's not sure how he should do it. But at that moment his thoughts are frozen as he feels the temperature drop drastically. He quickly looks around as he feels his pulse quicken and his breath become visible. He pushes himself to his feet and looks around before remembering that he can barely see in this light. "Alright, where are you? I know that you're here."

It's then that something catches his eye. He quickly darts his gaze in the direction of the flicker but sees nothing. He instantly readies his mind for a fight and looks around as he slowly makes his way forward. It's when he finally leaves the comfort of the moonlight that he lets his other side take over his body. He once again assumes his demonic form and concentrates to try and find the source of the eerie feeling. He gets the general area, but he can't quite tell what the spirit is. He walks towards it a little until he notices a small girl crouching at one of the toppled bookshelves, this one with the most destroyed books.

"Are you the one that destroyed these books?"
"Yea. Sorry about that. The girl that was just in here made me really mad."
"Mad enough to destroy books?"

At that moment Ishiro feels the dark powers of the girl grow steadily as she looks to him waiting on an answer. He knows that he won't get out of this one without a fight. He silently curses his luck for pissing off Asagi, but he readies himself for a fight nontheless. "Let's just get this over with, little girl." At that the girl vanishes only to fill the entire room with a dark energy that creeps even Ishiro out.

 

[King Wolfe]

The cool air was good against Tsumiki’s skin. From the rooftop, the entire courtyard could be seen as large trees towered over the meek foliage scattered throughout. The koi pond could be heard from here as well, the lapping of fish and the natural sounds of insect life alike livened up this brooding atmosphere. Even the sounds of the nocturnal inhabitants echoed off the mansion and reverberated on Tsumiki’s body. It was disturbing, however, to note simply how loud everyone was being.

Then again, Tsumiki has the ability to sense emotion, so perhaps that plays a part of it.
She generally hung out in the back during Ace’s little speech earlier and remained as anonymous as a shadow may be. And after everything was said, she teleported up here to get a good start on her reading.

Tsumiki has been enjoying the serenity of peace since then, she was absolutely absorbed in the tome that depicted ancient Greek and Roman gods and goddesses. Tsumiki had difficulty believing that a Titan who castrated the sky created the oceans as a result and “killed” the sky. Then again, she was the embodiment of an ancient immortal spirit. So, it wasn’t too difficult.

At the same time, however, Tsumiki floated with the book aloft in front of her. It was a good meditation technique that controlled her emotions well, plus it helped ease the effort of sitting down for long periods of time.

“Guess everyone is encountering the spirits already,” mumbled Tsumiki, “I wonder if I’ll need to do anything.”

She had trouble getting along with people, mostly because some wouldn’t have patience for Tsumiki’s quiet and reserved nature. Although she had preferred to stay alone, Yui, the insufferable brat, had insisted that both Tsumiki and Nao go out and socialize more. And as a result, Yui took the responsibility of becoming Tsumiki’s and Nao’s caretaker. It wasn’t as if she didn’t want friends, it’s just she is as socially awkward as a cactus.

Weird metaphor, but my point is made clear.

She did respect a few people, Asagi, Nao and Ace, in a way. But if she were to approach Asagi, Miki probably wouldn’t say much and be apprehensive at starting conversations. Nao was easy to get along with, but Yui always tagged along, making the entire thing headache inducing.

With a sigh the book shut closed and landed softly on the roof.

“Perhaps it wouldn’t hurt,” she remarked.

In a few moments, Tsumiki had floated down to the courtyard and decided to take a stroll. Trees and nature always calmed her down.

~--~

​

Thankfully, he didn’t bleed out. But that didn’t shed any light into this situation. He wondered what crimes he had committed to be here. All Nao wanted to do was go home, watch a little TV, and sleep. But instead he was in a haunted mansion with Scooby Doo and the gang.

Yui held up Nao, with one hand, to lift him up into a large tree.

“See anything?” Yui called.

“No,” answered Nao, “You do realize that I am spiritually sensitive and would be able to sense any spirits. There’s no need to physically search for them.”

But Yui didn’t listen. He ran over to the next large tree and accidentally slammed Nao’s face into the thick branch.

“See anything?” he asked again.

Nao answered no as best he could be branch stuffed in his mouth.

“You would think that I would be able to prevent being hurt,” muttered Nao, “Seeing as I can predict the future..”

“Yeah, you should be more careful. I don’t want you getting hurt.” Yui answered.

Nao jumped off Yui’s hand and strolled around the backyard a bit more.

“How depressing must it be to be stuck in a place like this for all eternity. Nowhere to go but to repeat the same cycles, over and over again. Living and dying are pretty much the same thing, isn’t it?” Nao asked.

Yui, however, was tearing up over his sad soliloquy. Nao didn’t need his insight to predict what was going to happen next. In a quick motion, Yui lunged for Nao in an attempt to hug him, but he side-stepped expertly and allowed Yui to crash into the tree behind him.

He was fine, the tree, however, cracked where Yui struck it. And when he recovered, he sat up, scratched his head, and looked at Nao, “What are you going to do after you die?”

“Get as far away from you as possible,” he answered instantly. Nao walked back inside with Yui at his heels.

“Aw, don’t be like that!”

 

[Raspberyl]

Distracted by the key and the prospect of what lay beyond the door, Hayden was taken aback when she was suddenly being pulled along. "What? What's happen--" she asked, but was cut off when she bumped into Ace after his abrupt stop.

The voice that boomed across the room answered any confusion she had. The eeriness and hostility in its tone sent shivers down her spine; sourceless creepy voices tend to do that to her. She lightened up, however, at the mention of summoned bloodthirsty ghosts. She watched the three ghosts crawl up from the opened ground with a grin and barely contained excitement. These ghosts, she could see. And what she can see, she can fight.

"Hayden you know the drill, Pacify them! I'll send them once I see the chance. and be careful, from the looks of them they seem to be quite powerful. Try to keep your distance!"

"I'm on it."

But before rushing for the ghosts, Hayden took a quick moment to conjure up a wall of explosives behind her, a makeshift barrier. It exploded outwardly on contact, offering Ace some protection in any case the ghosts slip by her.

The ghosts moved erratically, but they were sluggish and were fortunately attuned to movement. That meant they would only target her as long as she kept moving about. Using her better speed as an advantage, Hayden weaved around the three spirits easily. She showered them with colorful sparks that blew them away, scattering them across the room as she planned—singling them out was the best choice if she wanted to fight ranged.

The first ghost was easy to subdue. He got the brunt of the explosion, and he staggered toward her feebly. She lifted her faintly glowing hand and with an upward flick, a bright blue orb materialized and sped toward the weakened ghost. It impacted directly, and the ensuing explosion incapacitated him. "Ace, that's one!"

The other two had already recovered from the impact of the earlier explosion and were headed toward her with increased speed. She felt their killing intent a lot more clearly now. The bigger one chucked a dresser drawer at her, and just as she veered left to avoid it, he threw another. She barely evaded the second, and it left a gash down her left arm. She winced, but had to raise both hands to generate a stream of multicolored orbs that exploded bright and loud. They got thrown in opposite directions; one flew across the room and crashed against the barrier, setting off another wave of small explosions, while the other landed on and broke the glass cabinet.

The second one was quick to recover and moved to grab the katana that fell from the broken cabinet. He lunged at her, slashing wildly and furiously. Because she was trying to maintain her distance, she soon found herself backed into the corner of the room, with the ghost only an arm’s length away. She frowned, realizing what she'll have to do. She braced for the pain as she deliberately caught the blade with her hands, and hurriedly generated sparks that sent the katana flying off his hand.

The rest should've been easy, just another wave of explosions to knock the ghost out. But Hayden was momentarily distracted by a sudden demonic presence—was that Ishiro?—and that gave the ghost enough time to pounce on her.

Ace was right, they were powerful. The ghost's pale hands wrapped around her neck, and he didn't loosen his hold on her even with her furious struggling. Each kick she threw should have felt like a direct explosion against him, but the ghost stubbornly held on. At a loss of what else to do, she shot up brilliant red sparks to signal Ace, hoping he could send the ghost while he was preoccupied with her.

 

[Piercing Light]

The second Hayden engaged the ghosts Ace started to focus his Psyche magic. He was going to use a simple spell, one any Purifier was capable of doing. He only changed his posture slightly, to make sure his guard was up with his feet planted to keep his balance. Hayden used her ability to erect a wall to protect him while he prepared, a good thing since he'd be unable to move while he did this. As the first ghost fell to his partner the ground at his feet began to glow with a pale blue light. It was faint at first, however it slowly began to become brighter. One of the two remaining ghosts threw drawers from a dresser at Hayden, he winced as one barely missed a direct hit on her, cutting her arm. He wanted to help, however as he was now he'd simply get in the way. Thankfully she was able to recover and was able to incapacitate another one of them. In doing so the wall protecting him had vanished, however that was of little concern as his spell was ready.

At his feet the pale light had become a radiant blue. It was clearly a circle, and the edges seemed to be blazing with sharp light. A single beam of this sharp light shot out, first curving around his body and then heading straight for the first ghost that had fallen. The beam impaled it from the torso, and the ghost instantly vanished as it was banished. He did the same to the second ghost, just as the third picked up the katana from the display of the samurai armor. It went chasing after Hayden, swinging the blade in a wild rage. Ace tried to wrap the beam of light around the ghost to slow it down, however it only broke apart before it could help. The spell was too weak to work on the ghost as is, he knew this but he couldn't help trying. Hayden caught the blade with her hands, also firing off sparks to prevent further damage. The katana flew from it's hands, landing left of Ace. "Alright Hayden, finish it so I can-."

He was shocked as the ghost suddenly gripped her neck, That shouldn't have happened, she had the jump on it. She must have sense something that threw her off, Ace wouldn't know since he had been focusing on the spell and this room alone. She sent a red spark off towards him, much like an emergency flare. "Dammit-Dammit-Dammit!" He cursed as he was already looking around frantically for a way to help her. His eyes stopped on the katana. Instantly he hatched a plan. A beam of light shot out, wrapping around the hilt. The blue aura washed over the blade as it's holy properties were infused into it. He curved the beam of light above the ghost, and in a swift motion brought the blade down on it's head. It's visage was sliced in two, and it vanished. The spell no longer needed he let it fade, resulting in the katana falling to the floor with a loud clang.

He ran over to Hayden, his eyes moving to her wounds. "Hold on." He said, the calm in his voice rather stoic. He went over to the bed, taking off the lone white sheet. He tore it, leaving him with three sizable strips. He went back over to her, lifting her left arm without a word. He wrapped one of the strips around the wound on her arm, tying it tightly. He then lightly took a hold of her hands. "Stopping a katana with your hands? Pretty risky Hayden..." his voice was still calm, however there was a hint of regret to them. He grimaced over the wounds, they must have been painful. He didn't like seeing his friends get hurt, especially when he was right there and powerless to stop it. "This is going to sting." He wrapped her hands, trying not to do so in a way that would encumber her fingers. When he was done he walked over to where the door should be, it was there was again. "Let's go, I have a feeling that spirit won't stop at just us..." He looked downwards to the second floor, he could feel a different presence. It was one of pure malice. "Seems Ishiro is next.."

 

[Mistearea]

With the girl now vanished and his sense being bombarded, Ishiro was in no position to figure out where the little girl was. Thinking that it could help with his already dulled senses, Ishiro closes his eyes and attempts to expand his awareness through the room. He silently curses his inability to figure out even the general location of the girl, but something does catch his attention. He opens his eyes to find the source of the slight rustling, only to see several books slowly lifting from the piles littering the area. He just smiles at the pathetic attempt to harm him and prepares himself just as the books launch towards him. He quickly dives to the side and watches as the object explode in a mass of paper from hitting the rails.

"Now who's the one destroying books?"

He pushes himself to his feet and looks around only to see the faint outline of a small figure in the distance. He smiles at the luck presenting itself, but notices something that quickly sends that same smile into another dimension. He gulps as he notices one of the many bookshelves making its way through the piles of books to hover in the air roughly eighty feet from him. Just as rapidly as the books themselves, the shelf launches itself through the air at an nearly unprepared Ishiro. But instead of moving out of the way, he just solidifies his stance and swings his right hand at the shelf as it gets to be within five feet of his body.

The shelf explodes from a large impact and leaves the area covered in dust. This time Ishiro looks at the figure through red eyes while holding what looks like a giant hammer with metal studs all over it. He moves the ancient Japanese weapon to rest on his shoulder as he begins to walk towards to girl in the distance. It's only then that he notices that this time the creature is sending two shelves at him. He simply curses his luck at the development and starts to spin the hammer above his head in a circular motion. The hammer elongates with each spin until it finally stretches to surround his entire body. But at this point the handle has changed to take on the form of more of a hand scythe.

He lowers his hand onto a bit of the chain and throws the blade towards the spirit in the distance. At the same time he keeps the spinning motion of the rest of the chain to protect him from the two shelves making their way towards his body. While not as destructive as with the club, the shelves fall short of his body and hit the ground filling the air with dust once more. But this is not his real concern. His mind is instead focused on the blade shooting towards the girl. With a simple flick of his wrist the blade changes course to surround the girl and bind her in chains. The blade sinks into the ground to anchor itself as Ishiro pulls on the other end of the chain. He quickly extends his power through the chain once more and watches as blades and spikes both appear all along the chain and dig into the body of the spirit. "So long, bitch." He pulls at the chain with all of his strength and watches as the girl's body is shredded with a shower of ectoplasm.

Ishiro smiles at the thought of not having to rely on Asagi afterall and makes his way towards the stairs until something reaches his ears. He slowly turns around to face the source of the laughter only to see that the girl is still there, granted her energy is greatly depleted. "Is that the best you can do? It won't be able to get rid of me. I'll just keep coming back again and again until you die!" This time the girl takes on a more physical approach by jetting through the air and slamming hard into the stunned Ishiro. The impact knocks him off the balcony and into a table directly under his spot on the balcony.

 

[Ðari]

Talk about the sticks.

Bricks were one thing, a structure composed of bricks. A rudimentary and unstable monestary, exceeding further into a mansion. Investigations of interested always guided by the no-less than reluctant Cultural Arts Club. What was curious, divided down the middle were two groups, but we'll get to that.

Upon the mansion they'd tread in groups. The young japanese male with pale blue eyes, was an ongoing solo act. In the eyes of the pacifiers, they always sat on the opposite end of the spectrum of the club. What even Rien wish he had in place of the violent nature of his own traits, to be connected with the dead like the purifiers were.

Rather than loose himself to his thoughts, their was an investigation that needed looking into. Ace lead, smaller teams made, yet everyone had their own painting for this picture. A scowl from the woman he levied cynical misanthropy, others patron to sarcasm, juvenile tendencies, and others with genuinely kind qualities albeit a tad eccentric.

Rien was bad with names of both people and streets, but faces and locations were how he traversed and maintained. He'd moved with the group initially, and tread with the twins, and the much more blunt and sturdy male. If Rien had a strait-jacket he would've put that nut, bound and strapped to a chair.

Though, within his head there was an echo.

"Hack...Saw....SLASH....HACK!"

'These numbers, what in the name of Lucifer do they mean?'

It was impulse all its own. Rien didn't understand, but it was transcribed on the fan that at times using it caused him to loose all rationality in exchange for power. He had visions of becoming a complete porcupine, coded skin replaced with scales emblazoned by the fan, and even his face split open.

The Study is where he'd wandered in next, joining the male and the twins unnannounced. He rolled his eyes at first, then yawned. Prattling about, bicker, bicker, bicker, Rien rolled his eyes. "So showing your ass is how we get things done. I love ignorant people." he murmured to himself cynically, yet competently devoid of arrogance yet painted with rationality.

The wave that pulsed from the study as the frustrated gentle pacifier, broke his passive streak by hitting a book case and the wave would shake the purifiers there. He sighed, but honestly, having the audacity to blatantly be downplayed like he just way, in hindsight, he thought was funny as hell.

"No time for fakes." Rien said, treading as he heard the sound of a ghost, it's red eyes ready and willing about their group inside of "the study". Among them, he snatches a book from the shelf and flips through it as the foreshadow commences, and he splits it in half in his palm, jutting a piece of the triangular white fan from his grip.

I prefer to impale them, Rien said softly as his sinister nature crept out bei ng exposed to the fan. As they hovered above him, he jut fan's spawning, that floated and hovered behind his back, rotating and spinning in circles, as the books flailed.

 

[King Naruto]

Looking back at the twins, Coraleye just smiled. Ashley was standing up for her and her sister by insisting that Coral would call them by their names instead of the twins. He liked to see them stick up for themselves and the funny thing was that is was a almost everyday thing. Coraleye walked over to Ashley and gave a grin. "Sorry bout that, Yang." He put his hand on her hand and poked her forehead. Their was a brotherly feel from the oldest member toward Ashley and Mizuki that had been around since the second day he had joined. He made a quick turn, putting his eyes on the desk.

Coraleye was quick to sit down in the chair with his feet on the desk. He put his hands on the back of his head and let the worries go free. If there was a ghost then they would have found it by now. He felt the presences but, they weren't showing their ghostly faces. Before Coraleye make another comment, in came Rien. He had seen Rien before and had even worked with the guy but, geez it was pretty hard. It was almost like working with Asagi, something Coraleye tried to avoid. Those two always took the fun from the room in someway. It only took several seconds before Rien had things roaring.

"Really dude? Well hello to you too." Coraleye commented as he pushed off the desk.

"Death." A voice bellowed from the empty corner behind the half demon. "I will slay you all. Death be brought to those who deserve it."

"And why do we deserve it?" Coraleye asked without looking.

The voice took a ghastly shape of a man wearing ceremonial samurai armor while wielding a katana longer then Ashley's arm. "Because you breath. I have seen many roam through this mansion and now you intend to do the same. I hate the living truthfully and I feel the need to start the deaths with .......those girls."

The ghost shot forward at Mizuki with it's katana pointed at her throat. Coraleye jumped forward, hopping over the desk with agility surpassing your natural human. He made it first with his vector shield clashing against the blade of the samurai's katana. This ghost was stronger then it looked causing Coraleye's arm to shake and move back. "OH NO YA DON'T!" Coraleye exclaimed while using his demonic strength to push the samurai back into the corner. With Hayden and Ace under attack and now Coraleye, the twins and Rien, things weren't looking up for the club.

 

[luna008]

Mizuki sighed, "I'm yin that's Ashely." She mumbled, aggitation slowly draining away. She had to remeber this was one of the few guys she could stand to be around in the club since most of them acted like jerks. And Coraleye did treat them pretty nicely, unlike the guy that just walked in. "Hello Rien, nice to see you to." She told him flatly as he walked in.

"We got this section covered Rien!" Ashely told him, annoyed at him becuase of what he said, and also becuase she wasn't sure if he was directing that at her, at the others, or all of them. He also reminded her of Ishiro, which made her reach new heights of annoyed. Then the dead samurai guy walked out of nowhere and started talking to them, then shot forward at Mizuki. Ashely jumped in front of her sister immeaditly. She always did that, it was instinct and a driving need to protect her sister. Mizuki was about ready to push Ashely down and out of the way, cuase it annoyed her when Ashely did that, but it turns out that that was unnecsary thanks to Coraleye, who not only stopped, but pushed the ghost back.

"Yin, get ready to send them! I'll help Coraleye!" Ashely said as ran towards Coraleye and the spirit. Pip flew along side her, and she felt magic from him flowing into her. Something was probably going to blow up, and Ashely like it that way.

"Just be careful Yang!" Mizuki called after her, then fell to her knees to her sending postion. It was the only way she could cast the sending spells, she thought it had something to do with her ansectory. She started the spell as Ashely got to Coraleye.

 

[ThePromise]

The smell of the greenhouse was pleasant, not reeking too much of freshly potted plants but moreso the aroma that generally left a healthy flower. The man's taste in exotic plants were made perfectly clear in the middle of all this fresh nature, the flora of deserts catching her eye, followed by the more colorful and less prickly of the bunch. Asagi couldn't identify everything here, but the guy spent money on only the finest and well kept plants across the world.

Pfft, what a show off.

Still he had taste and she'd compliment him on that. How he was able to maintain so many different types of plants were beyond her. "..A lotta plants Lulu ...heh ..imagine if mom was a florist on the side." Lulu let out a low sound from her throat, and Asagi smiled as if perfectly understanding her. "Yeah, she'd probably train the plants ..she's that serious." She could imagine it now. Her mother standing in front of a potted rose and beside it, placing the schedule of when it took in sun, drank from fresh water, and was put to rest. This place really put her at ease, it made her forget about the others, let go of her irritation. Luck would have it that a spirit was here. "Ah ..but that's enough admiration. Come on out." previously standing tall, Asagi proceeded down an aisle and knelt down at the very end, seeing a small spirit attempting to hide behind it.

The spirit was in the form of a little girl who couldn't have been older than six, and though she glowed with the aura that suggested she was nothing more than a spirit bound to this world, her appearance was pretty easy to discern over all that pale blue. A white dress, a blue bow over her hazel-brown head, and most of her hair covering her right eye, leaving her left exposed to see. Asagi's eyes met that lone blue eye, and as she extended her right arm, the child recoiled and tried hiding behind the table a little more. It was obvious Asagi could see her by now, it was futile. She seemed to be clutching something else under her small arm, hugging it for reassurance, a stuffed bear with a stitched smile.

"Come on, I won't hurt you, I'm here to help you, honest." Asagi reassured the girl patiently, but the spirit didn't seem all too willing to come out until she took better notice of the black cat perfectly balanced on Asagi's left shoulder. Her hand held out, Lulu let out a content meow from her mouth and the girl smiled a little at it before slowly stepping out from her hiding space. Even if Lulu was part of the reason she was to come out, she still didn't take Asagi's hand.

"..Y..you can ...see me?" the girl whispered both softly and timidly, stepping a little closer to Asagi and parting an arm from her bear, as if about to touch her.

"Yes, this is no place for a little girl like you to be. My name is Asagi, what's yours?"

"..Hanabi."

"Hanabi? That's a cute name, I'm jealous of you for getting it." The little girl seemed to react well to her compliment, which Asagi honestly meant. The name was cute indeed. As she hoped, Hanabi reached out and took her hand, stepping very closely to her. Asagi had the deep desire to hug her because she was alone here, but before she was sent, Asagi had questions to ask. This would hopefully be her first and last spirit of the night. "You haven't taken your eyes off my cat. Her name is Lulu, and she's glad to see you. Right Lulu?" Asagi looked to her companion who had stepped down from her shoulder and crushed against the little girls leg. For Lulu to manage to touch a spirit in such a way could have meant two things. One, being in the presence of Asagi for so long and mingling with her energy allowed her to brush against spirits as well as see them, or two, she was simply not an ordinary black cat.

Feeling the precious cat brushing against her, Hanabi smiled and momentarily released Asagi's hand to gently brush her hand along the fur of the cat before her. She always liked animals but never got the opportunity to do things other children got. Go to the zoo, have big birthday parties, make friends. No, her life was different..

"She's cute!"

"Isn't she? ...I got her when I was younger, my mother got her for me as a gift. We've been inseparable ever since." It was unfortunate to see such a young girl actually dead. She was frightened before she found her and it wasn't hard to understand why. She appeared alone and clung to a stuffed animal that seemed to be her only company. Despite her emotional barriers, it was hard to be so tough with a child, especially one that was dead. The motherly instincts of her elders persisted. It seemed only natural she adopted them too, eventually. Asagi wanted to ask questions, wanted her to know the position she was in, what she was here to do. Yet to see her smile as if smiling was a rare thing with her ..only a little longer did she want to see it before getting down to business.

Of all things, she didn't want to see her frightened and alone.Not anymore.

 

[nightmarezeroX9]

"That's the thing, I'm curious too. No one keeps a desk and closet locked in a guest room, at least that I know of," said Satoshi, slightly annoyed how there was no way to open both of the things without force. Even though damage was expected, he didn't think the owners would take it too kindly if they found out that their property was damaged intentionally. Still, something had to be behind there, and his curiosity was beginning to get the better of him. He let out a large sigh, and turned away from the closet door.

"Well, I think we should check out the other rooms, but I'm going to try to see if I can at least get that desk open. I don't think anyone will notice if that was forced open, unless they extensively checked. For protection, why don't you take two of these guys and check another room? I'm sure if something comes up, they can take care of it," he said, with a light smile. He pointed to one of his weasels, who was lazily stretching its body across the neatly made bed. Something else that struck odd, was that it looked recently made too. Did they just have guests over or something? That question didn't really have any relevance to what they were doing they, but with things like this, nothing can be ruled out.

Although it was technically a bad idea to split up, the Kamaitachi weasels were perfectly capable of defending Emilia in case a hostile spirit attacked. They would listen to anyone if Satoshi told them too, and they stayed rather close to whoever they were with at the time. If she didn't want to go along with this plan, it was fine by him, but something kept him in this room, most likely the mystery behind the locked things. He sat down on the bed, with a plump, and the weasel that was on the bed jumped up. The mattress was rather comfortable, it felt like one of those mattresses that are supposed to adjust to your body shape. If he was tired, and by all means he was, he would take a nap right here. Too bad he was on the job. "So, what's your decision? Want to help me, or take two of these little guys and check out another room?"

 

[ThePromise]

After everything she learned, everything heard from the lips of a little girl who was too young to understand the tragedy of death, Asagi kept herself hardened. For the past fifteen minutes Hanabi had shared what she recalled before her death, her parents, her wishes, everything. It was a miracle this girl could even open up to her about this right now, and her struggles were taken into account. That bear she held, was a gift from her mother before she passed, and it was the only thing she could speak to, could love. It burned Asagi to know of this, but she did her best to console her, with a little help from Lulu. She moved on to more positive things, and strangely enough Hanabi wanted to learn more about her.

Sitting down on her knees in a traditional fashion, Asagi kept her smile to Hanabi as Lulu rested in the girls lap, keeping her comfortable.

"More about me? Well, I suppose its only fair. I guess I'll start with my mother." Asagi had never spoken to anyone else in the club about such personal things, come to think of it she never really had other friends to speak about her family to. This little girl would be the first to hear it, and Asagi was happy to share if it kept her happy too. "My full name is Asagi Igawa Watanabe, and my mother's name is Hanahime, and before she took my fathers name, her last name was Igawa. It's no surprise I was given her former last name as my middle." scratching her cheek, Asagi thought hard on how to carry this on. No matter what she said, Hanabi appeared happy, incredibly happy to hear it. "She's ...tough, incredibly. My grandfather on her side who I never met, he wanted a boy, but got her. Even so, my mother is as strong as any 'man' and was able to prove it to him, earning his favor. Martial Arts is her passion, and she was determined to teach me too when I was young, around 5 or so maybe. But the thing is ...even when she was rough, she was able to become gentle for my sake. If she was too harsh, she'd apologize. If she hit me too hard, she'd hug me and take me out for ice cream. Despite how strong a woman she is, she never intended to hurt me, only make me stronger, and made sure I knew I was loved no matter what."

Asagi paused, Hanabi continuing to listen and almost appearing dream-like as she stared up at her. This could've made Hanabi envious and upset yet the girl didn't appear distressed, she appeared happy. Asagi wondered how, despite everything she went through.

"..She can't cook, she has a temper, and her love of fighting can sometimes get her into some problems depending on the situation taking place ..but she's ..she is a wonderful mother, and I wouldn't want another in her place. That woman gave me so much as a little brat, and continues to do so." Asagi bit her lip, her eyes almost getting misty saying this out loud. Blinking a couple times, she closed her eyes and rubbed the back of her jet-black head. "If I were to regret something, anything ..it's that I don't tell her how much she means to me enough. I'm just too ..stubborn to say these things. Stupid, right?"

"Do you wanna be like her?" Hanabi chimed in, that childish smile of hers helping brighten up the greenhouse in which they sat in. Her small hand continued to run across Lulu and comfort the small pet while Asagi told her tale.

Opening her eyes, Asagi looked to the matted ground below them, wondering that herself. She always intended to be strong like her mother, fierce like her mother, and just as caring ...but she could never say it, nor could she think it. This little girl was getting to her. "...I do want to be like my mother, I suppose in some ways I already am. It was a miracle she was able to even settle down with my father." Asagi could see the little girls free hand twitch at the mention of her father, and Asagi was worried she upset her by saying that word.

"..Well what's your daddy like?"

Wrong again.

"My dad? ..I can start by saying that I got my last name from him. Watanabe are known for their humbleness and selfless attitudes. The guys can't help but praise the girls they fall in love with, it's almost genetic. They'd call themselves lower than dirt, but raise their wives on a pedestal. My dad is no different. He met mom as a teenager and, like most boys, he was into the cute girls. Yet when he met mom, there was something about her that caught his attention and affection. She wasn't soft, she was strong, she was confident ...and I can only assume from this point, but I suspect it was because she was tough and powerful in spirit did he really ask her out. It didn't take him long to realize that was the woman he wanted to spend his life with, and they got married some point during their early twenties."

Asagi still remembered the wedding picture. Mom almost went to the ceremony in her gi, but with a little convincing from everyone, she put on the dress. She suspected her mother hated it, but for her father, she'd put up with it for a day. The point is, they were happy, Hanahime glowed in his arms, and her father was grinning like a fool. To think him of all people got married and was about to settle down ...

"..Anyway. That side of the family is where I got my swordsman skills and abilities. The thing about my father is that he was lenient and let my mother take the lead in my initial growth. He cooked for us, cleaned ..did things he probably never would've done as a teenager. But mother wasn't a typical housewife, so ..he stepped up, he did what he could for us, and he still does. The unfortunate thing is, I don't take much from him. Mom is where I have nearly everything ..but I'm told I have that Watanabe heart and spirit deep down. To think I could be humble, say someone could best me ..I can't see it."

Asagi lowered the hand on the back of her head and placed it on her lap with the other. "Those are my parents, and I'd die for them ...but they'd sooner die for me. Dad would constantly remind me as a kid that he'd never see the day I would die before him. He'd take bullets, he'd take blades ..he'd carry the world on his shoulders if it meant me and mom could be happy." Yachiro Watanabe was a cocky teenager turned faithful husband, and he knew how to flatter a girl. Mom would blush and often reminisce of when they were younger, and the things her father said to her would often make her eyes water. They were in love all right.

"Okay sweetheart, I told you about my parents, and you've told me about yours. Are you ready to pass on?" Hanabi noticeably broke eye contact and looked down at Lulu, and Asagi knew she was still afraid. Reaching out, Asagi would place both her hands on the girls small shoulders. "Don't be afraid, I promise you'll be taken care of, I have a trio of family friends who can help you get adjusted to life on the other side."

Intrigued, Hanabi peered up at Asagi again. "What are they like?"

Stalling, Asagi figured. Sighing softly, Asagi leaned back again, letting the girl go. "If I tell you, will you promise me you'll trust me and let me send you?" It took a few moments but Hanabi nodded. "Okay. Well they're brothers for starters. One is noticeably smarter than the others which isn't saying much since they're all pretty wise. He'll appear like a typical businessman, but very young, since he's not bound by a mortals rules, none of them are. He favors black colors and was the first to settle here and start a family, which is still thriving today. His name is Calipher. The other has hair a shade of blue and favors white colors. There's this white cap on his head he always wears, and he'll act strange around women. You'll understand someday. His name is Solipher. And the last, well I don't get a lot from him because he sleeps so much, but he favors brown. He's got this brown hair that's always in a mess over his eyes and you'll almost always catch him trying to skip out on working. He goes by Lucipher. Once you grow up, you'll realize how ironic his name is when you compare it to how he lives."

Asagi paused.

"And these three may seem a little intimidating at first, but they're good people inside, and they'll help you whenever they can. I'll be sure to get at least one of them to help make the process for you easier ..and to find your mommy, okay?" Hanabi appeared to hang on her every word. The term 'sending' no doubt scared her, but there wasn't another term that came to mind. Lulu would raise herself from the girls lap and step beside Asagi while Hanabi's body trembled. Suddenly she brought her body forward against Asagi, but for a reason she couldn't explain, she immediately hugged the girl back. She knew it would come to this, but if she stayed any longer, it would only be tougher on her to leave. There was nothing left here.

The spirit sobbed into Asagi's chest and her back was rubbed and patted to help her get her sadness out.

Among all the troubles and fears confronted in her life, someone who appeared as unforgiving as Asagi was able to listen to her, to comfort her. Hanabi felt blessed, but also cursed that she didn't get to meet her while living. The little girl cried hard for some time, not to delay, but to get all this happiness from her system so she could finally say goodbye. Pulling away, Asagi blinked at her, and somehow Hanabi could tell that she didn't want her to go either. That made her happy. "Thank you for being the one to help me ..and ..daddy ..I know he's good inside. Mommy being gone made him unhappy ..if you find him, can you tell him I'll be with mommy and wait for him..so we can be family again?"

"........" Unbelievable. Just ...no words for this kind of thing. Asagi, if not trained, if not steeled, might've burst out crying then and there from this little girls love. Hanabi continued to smile despite her fears and pain. Asagi's heart ached painfully and her stomach tightened. Making her do such a thing when Asagi herself knew damn well that guy didn't deserve this little girl. There was no chance in hell she could say no, not now, not when all her hopes were riding on this tough teenager who just happened to be what she needed. For her, and only her, would she lower that barrier and comply with such a wish. "...Pinky promise. When I see him, I'll let him know everything. You can count on your big sister, can't you?" Asagi erected her right pinky and raised it to Hanabi, and the girl would return the gesture with her own pinky, wrapping it around Asagi's and locking it together.

"I can!" Keeping her teddy clutched under her left arm where it had been this entire time, Hanabi would break the lock and hug Asagi one last time, this time placing her head besides hers, with a firm arm locked around the back of her neck. Naturally Asagi would return this hug swiftly, pressing the girl against herself, not daring to look her in the eye. Lulu sadly brushed herself against the girls leg, and Hanabi fought tears once more. She turned her head down to Lulu, who would look bad up to her and whimpered sadly. "I'll miss you Lulu ...Asagi." Hanabi would say her name one last time before returning her cheek against her big sisters. "Will I see you again?"

"..Someday, I promise you'll see me again ..and I'll always be your big sister, so don't worry. If anyone messes with you on the other side, you just ...you just leave it to me, okay?" Slowly her wall was collapsing and the hands wrapped around the little girl channeled the energies used for her Soul Scatter technique. She was in peace, and her spiritual presence in this world began to fade in small blue particles, from the bottom up.

"I will ..goodbye, big sister."

"..Goodbye."

Surely her powers were able to release the bond between Hanabi, and her ties here in the physical world, and she would be sent to a better place to reunite with her mother. The moment every inch of her was gone, Asagi leaned forward, tears flowing freely from her tightly shut eyes. It hadn't been very long between them, but she wished she had more time with the girl, time to show her the world wasn't so sad, so cruel. It was unavoidable. Not everyone could have her brilliant childhood, have her mother, have her father. If that could be done ..then the world might've been a lot better with parents like hers. Who loved, and nurtured ..who cared so damn much about their little girl that the world could've burned in comparison to their love for her.

Her entire body trembling, Lulu remained silent as Asagi released her emotions at last, having hid them for Hanabi's sake. It was painful, and she'd admit it hurt her to be so powerless to stop this outcome. There was nothing she could have done. Everything that mattered to that girl, would now be on the other side.

...Why her?

She didn't keep track of how long she cried, nor did she care, but her sobs were stifled and unheard unless you were right beside her. All she wanted to do now was be alone and be free to cry as much as she pleased, but she didn't have that luxury. Something was drawing close to her right, passing through the windows and stone, settling at least ten feet away. It didn't act, only watched, and its presence wasn't familiar to her. She would figure of course, that blood would recognize blood, and spirit would recognize spirit. However you chose to put it, she could guess who was there.

"...Sit right there ...because these tears ..are going to turn into words, and action ...so you just wait and let me finish you bastard .. I'll get to you soon enough."
​

 

[IceBlueWings]

"So, what's your decision? Want to help me, or take two of these little guys and check out another room?"

Emilia looked at his familiars, and one of the weasels that stretched itself on the bed. She smiled, although the silence that followed his question was rather obvious that she was hesitant on leaving him alone. Or was it the fact that she was going to be alone? Would he be alright?

...Of course he would. He had the strength, after all. Was she going to be alright? Not that she didn't trust Satoshi's familiars. There would be less time wasted if she checked the other rooms along the corridor. She ridigly smiled as her fingers tightly gripped her arms that were placed across her chest. "I'll examine the other rooms, then. Please take care of me," She said as she looked at the Kamaitachi weasels, and then looked back at Satoshi. "I know this is not our first mission, but...I hope you will be careful." She said with a concerned smile as she walked out of the room.

She played with her bangs a little nervously as she walked along the corridor and shivered. There was another ghost on this floor, maybe even two, but they were not nearby, as far as she knew. She skipped a room from where she came out from, and then entered the third room on the left. She peered inside at first. It was dark like the room she and Satoshi entered. She took a few steps inside, and being comforted by the Kamaitachi weasels' presence, she blindly traced her hand across the wall for the light switch. Feeling a familiar object, she flipped up the switch and looked around what appears to be a rather large dressing room. There was a mahogany dressing table placed within the room, a queen sized bed, a sofa and armchair, and a mahogany coffee table.

Looking at the coffee table, she chuckled remembering the state of the coffee table that the group left in the room below. At least she was feeling a little at ease at the moment. She grinned at the weasels. "It's funny how I'm honestly easily afraid by..." She paused, her eyes darting around in alert.

"Ah, the flowers are blooming wonderfully in this fine day..." Emilia heard a soft, womanly voice say from the other end of the room. The red velvet curtains suddenly slid open and Emilia found that the room overlooked a small garden. There was a pause, and in turn, Emilia fell silent.

"Aren't you going to ask me who I am?" The voice snapped.

Emilia cringed inwardly. "May I know who you are?" She asked. The door behind her closed, and Emilia heard a distinctive sound of the lock turning and locking her in the room. Trying to be as calm as possible, she smiled jovially.

A translucent figure of a woman appeared, dressed in a glittering red dress with a silk shawl over her shoulders. The woman gave a satisfied smile, her face thick with makeup. "I'm, Hannah, the most gorgeous woman in this building--no, the world, and you," She looked at Emilia with distaste. "Look terrible. What is this silly outfit? And you're walking around here with no makeup at all?" She scoffed. "What a shame."

Emilia's smile turned rigid. "Well, I'm not so fond of makeup. And I'm comfortable in these clothes." She said. "What have you been doing in here?" Emilia asked politely.

Hannah rolled her eyes. "I was supposed to be performing on a certain night, when my rival..." She faltered, and Emilia swore she heard a curse coming from the woman. "Killed me, here. Oh, I'm well aware I'm dead, but..." Emilia felt deep anger and hatred emanating from the woman. "I didn't deserve death! I was a popular woman! Everyone loved my voice, and my looks, and my skills!" Her voice was starting to sound uncontrolled, as if there was a monster in her. A dark, deep sob was heard. "I wanted to live!"

Emilia looked at the woman in concern, when Hannah shot a glare at Emilia. "You're here to rid me of this place, aren't you?" She asked menacingly. Emilia gulped. "How dare you. How dare you!" The woman screamed. Emilia felt herself being violently thrown up against the ceiling and then dropped to the ground. She groaned in pain, looking at Hannah who was now just a murky figure as she lost her human form. "I was so kind before I was killed, you know?" Hannah laughed bitterly. "And now I'm dead."

Emilia took this chance to raise her endurance towards Hannah's attacks. She stood up and kept her distance, but a supernatural being could do so much more. Emilia was thrown against the wall, a small 'oof' escaping her lips and she fell to the floor again. The Kamaitachi weasels attacked Hannah, clawing her across her body. Hannah screamed, but it eventually turned into a laugh. "I hate you for living. Maybe I'll just kill you all." She said enthusiastically. Emilia chanted words of support for the weasels as they attacked Hannah.

"Calm down, Hannah!" Emilia pleaded. "You have to let that anger go!" She dodged an incoming coffee table that was thrown at her. The table hit the wall and one of it's legs broke. "There goes another coffee table," Emilia mumbled. There has to be something that could halt Hannah's movements, even for a while. She eyed the dressing table. If only she could get there swiftly...